Technologies

Pokemon Go: Is the Gold Bottle Cap Worth Buying a $20 Battle Pass?

The new item maxes out all of the IVs on one of your Pokemon. It’s the easiest way to get a perfect shiny Pokemon in the game.

I’ve been playing Pokemon Go since its release in 2016, and I’ve never caught a perfect shiny legendary. They’re absurdly rare, because you need to roll the right stats and the alternate pigmentation on the same Pokemon.

I suspect I’ll be seeing a lot more shiny legendary Pokemon with max stats (or shundos, as the community calls them) soon, though, since developer Niantic has released the first Gold Bottle Cap into Pokemon Go.

This powerful item lets you have total control over your Pokemon’s stats for the first time in the game’s history, but there are a couple nasty catches — the biggest one being that it’s locked behind an additional $20 battle pass, and you only have one week to complete it.

Is it worth it for you to buy that pass and grind out the tiers until you have that sweet Gold Bottle Cap? Here’s what you need to know about this hot commodity.

What is Pokemon Go’s Gold Bottle Cap?

The Gold Bottle Cap might be a new item in Pokemon Go, but it has made multiple appearances in mainline Pokemon games.

The first Gold Bottle Caps appeared in the Generation 7 games Sun and Moon, where they were used to max out all of a single Pokemon’s individual values (IVs). These IVs are hidden stats that are intrinsic to a Pokemon — you can manipulate them through breeding techniques, but the only way to change them on an already-generated Pokemon is through using the bottle caps.

The Gold Bottle Cap in Pokemon Go serves the same purpose as it does in the mainline games. This item will boost a single Pokemon’s Attack, Defense and HP IVs to 15 (the max value in Pokemon Go), assuming you’re able to complete the Hyper Training tasks the Gold Bottle Cap unlocks.

The current way to manipulate a Pokemon’s IVs in Pokemon Go is to trade it with a friend (and each Pokemon can only be traded once), so the Gold Bottle Cap is the only true guarantee that you’ll get a specific perfect Pokemon.

How to earn the Gold Bottle Cap in Pokemon Go

Currently, the only Gold Bottle Cap available to you in Pokemon Go is locked behind the final tier of a premium battle pass. Much like the Lucky Trinket gets locked behind the monthly Go Pass, the Gold Bottle Cap is the big draw of the special Go Fest 2025 Go Pass — so you’ll have to shell out cash and then put in the work to reach tier 100 in order to unlock this IV-maxing item.

Since this is only the first Gold Bottle Cap Pokemon Go players have had a chance to earn, it’s hard to say whether or not there will be alternative acquisition methods in the future. An item this absurdly powerful will definitely stay rare, just like the Master Ball.

If and when more Gold Bottle Caps are added to the game, it’d be a safe bet to assume they’ll remain out of reach of free-to-play players.

Is it worth it for you to buy the Ancients Recovered Go Pass?

The Ancients Recovered Go Pass is an event battle pass designed to run in tandem with Go Fest Global 2025. That means it’s extremely time limited — you can start making progress right now, but the whole battle pass will disappear after June 29. That means you have less than a week to knock out every tier.

You can earn a maximum of 10 tiers a day until June 28, and then the daily battle pass experience point limit will be uncapped. Essentially, if you don’t have a weekend to dedicate to playing Pokemon Go, there’s no way you’re going to unlock everything on this Go Pass (including the Gold Bottle Cap).

The pass also costs $20, which is a much steeper price than the $8 Niantic asks for in exchange for the monthly Go Pass.

Even if you make it to tier 100 of the event battle pass and unlock the Gold Bottle Cap, there are some strings attached to its usage. You can only use this item once, in order to boost a single Pokemon’s IVs — and if you don’t use your Gold Bottle Cap by July 6, it’ll simply disappear from your inventory. Tough luck.

You can’t use this item on Shadow Pokemon, and the Pokemon you want to use it on has to be your Good Buddy (or higher). If you don’t have a Pokemon already in mind to use the Gold Bottle Cap on, it’s probably not worth your time and money to invest in the pass.

Of course, if you are on the fence about whether or not to purchase this (very expensive) Go Pass, there are rewards on every other tier as well.

If you’re gunning for that Gold Bottle Cap tier, you’ll also pick up bonus experience points, lure modules, a lucky egg, an incense, an incubator and encounters with the legendary Pokemon Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Regieleki and Regidrago. You’ll also collect candy and candy XL for those legendaries.

If you progress the pass to the extra tiers past the Gold Bottle Cap, you can even earn upwards of 100,000 stardust — which goes far when it comes to powering up your Pokemon.

The value offered by the Gold Bottle Cap is completely subjective. Pokemon Go thrives off of FOMO — think about how long ago it was that Armored Mewtwo and the clone Pokemon from Pokemon: The First Movie last appeared in raids — but you shouldn’t feel compelled to buy into every new thing that gets added to the game. The difference between a couple IV points is negligible, and you can build a meta team of ‘mons without the Gold Bottle Cap.

Gold Bottle Cap FAQs

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 18, #513

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 18, No. 513.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has a fun yellow category that might just start you singing. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: I don’t care if I never get back.

Green group hint: Get that gold medal.

Blue group hint: Hoops superstar.

Purple group hint: Not front, but…

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Heard in «Take Me Out to the Ball Game.»

Green group: Olympic snowboarding events.

Blue group: Vince Carter, informally.

Purple group: ____ back.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is heard in «Take Me Out to the Ball Game.» The four answers are Cracker Jack, home team, old ball game and peanuts.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is Olympic snowboarding events. The four answers are big air, giant slalom, halfpipe and slopestyle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Vince Carter, informally. The four answers are Air Canada, Half-Man, Half-Amazing, VC and Vinsanity.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ back. The four answers are diamond, drop, quarter and razor.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Feb. 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 18.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword is a fun one, and it’s not terribly tough. It helps if you know a certain Olympian. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: ___ Glenn, Olympic figure skater who’s a three-time U.S. national champion
Answer: AMBER

6A clue: Popcorn size that might come in a bucket
Answer: LARGE

7A clue: Lies and the Lying ___ Who Tell Them» (Al Franken book)
Answer: LIARS

8A clue: Close-up map
Answer: INSET

9A clue: Prepares a home for a new baby
Answer: NESTS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Bold poker declaration
Answer: ALLIN

2D clue: Only U.S. state with a one-syllable name
Answer: MAINE

3D clue: Orchestra section with trumpets and horns
Answer: BRASS

4D clue: «Great» or «Snowy» wading bird
Answer: EGRET

5D clue: Some sheet music squiggles
Answer: RESTS

Technologies

The Witcher 3, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Bring the Heat to Xbox Game Pass

Two amazing games will be available soon for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

The second half of February and early March could be considered one of the best stretches in recent memory for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, widely regarded as one of the best games of the past decade, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 headline a lineup that leans heavily into sprawling, choice-driven adventures but does throw in some football to mix things up a bit.

Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV, PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, meaning they hit Game Pass the day they go on sale.

Here are all the latest games subscribers can play on Game Pass. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in early February, including Madden NFL 26.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition

Available on Feb. 19 for Game Pass Ultimate and Premium Game Pass subscribers.

The Witcher 3 came out 10 years ago, and it’s still being praised as one of the best games ever made. To celebrate, developer CD Projekt Red is bringing over The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition to Xbox Game Pass. Subscribers will be able to play The Witcher 3 and its expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Players once more take on the role of monster-slayer Geralt, who goes on an epic search for his daughter, Ciri. As he pieces together what happened to her, he comes across vicious monsters, devious spirits, and the most evil of humans who seek to end his quest.

Death Howl

Available on Feb. 19 for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Death Howl is a dark fantasy tactical roguelike that blends turn-based grid combat with deck-building mechanics. Players move across compact battlefield maps, weighing positioning and card synergies to survive increasingly difficult encounters. Progression comes through incremental upgrades that reshape each run. Battles reward careful planning, as overextending or mismanaging your hand can quickly end a run.

EA Sports College Football 26

Available on Feb. 19 for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

EA Sports College Football 26 delivers a new take on college football gameplay with enhanced offensive and defensive mechanics, smarter AI and dynamic play-calling that reflects real strategic football systems. Featuring over 2,800 plays and more than 300 real-world coaches with distinct schemes, it offers expanded Dynasty and Road to Glory modes where team building and personnel decisions matter. On the field, dynamic substitutions, improved blocking and coverage logic make matches feel more fluid and tactical.

Dice A Million

Available on Feb. 25 for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Dice A Million centers on rolling and managing dice to build toward increasingly higher scores. Each round asks players to weigh risk against reward, deciding when to bank points and when to push for bigger combinations. Progression introduces modifiers and new rules that subtly shift probabilities, making runs feel distinct while keeping the core loop focused on calculated gambling.

Towerborne

Available on Feb. 26 for Game Pass Ultimate, PC, and Premium Game Pass subscribers.

After months in preview, Towerborne will get its full release on Xbox Game Pass. The fast-paced action game blends procedural dungeons and light RPG progression, with players fighting through waves of enemies. You’ll unlock permanent upgrades between runs and equip weapons, spells and talents that change how combat feels each time. The core loop pushes risk versus reward as you dive deeper into tougher floors, adapting builds on the fly, and mastering movement and timing to survive increasingly chaotic battles.

Final Fantasy 3

Available on March 3 for Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Another Final Fantasy game is coming to Xbox Game Pass. This time, it’s Final Fantasy 3, originally released on the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES) back in 1990. Since then, Final Fantasy 3 has been ported to a slew of devices and operating systems, including the Nintendo Wii, iOS and Android. Now, you’ll be able to play on your Xbox or PC with a Game Pass subscription. A new group of heroes is once again tasked with saving the world before it’s covered in darkness. Four orphans from the village of Ur find a Crystal of Light in a secret cave, which tasks them as the new Warriors of Light. They’ll have to stop Xande, an evil wizard looking to use the power of darkness to become immortal.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Available on March 3 for Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Last year was stacked with amazing games, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was one of the best. Developer Warhorse Studios’ RPG series takes place in the real medieval kingdom of Bohemia, which is now the Czech Republic, and tasks players with a somewhat realistic gaming experience where you have to use the weapons, armor and items from those times. The sequel picks up right after the first game (also on Xbox Game Pass) as Henry of Skalitz is attacked by bandits, which starts a series of events that disrupts the entire country.

Games leaving Game Pass in February

For February, Microsoft is removing four games. If you’re still playing them, now’s a good time to finish up what you can before they’re gone for good on Feb. 28.

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to Game Pass.